A Squeaky Clean Job

Nearly seven million American households are without a washer and dryer, therefore fulfilling the need for the approximately 35,000 coin-operated laundromats around the country, according to the Coin Laundry Association. David Kessler, a man without the cleaning machines himself, recognized that laundromat patrons spending two or more hours in a confined white-walled space would be prime targets for a media message: "I was waiting for the green light to shut off, staring at this sea of white and it just hit me, ‘These washing machines could be wrapped with ads!’" says Kessler, founder of Laundromedia.

Kessler sent out unsolicited media kits to numerous clients, with a cover letter stating his idea. CBS Television bit, and Kessler’s Los Angeles-based company had a client. Without a wide-format inkjet printer, Kessler outsourced the printing and installation to Burbank-based Photo Center Imaging.

CBS television advertised its new show, "The Big Bang Theory," from September 3 through October 3 in 2007 in five California Laundromats throughout the greater Los Angeles area. CBS provided Photo Center Imaging with the image files, including a special tag line, "Good clean fun," and the print shop set out to determine which media to use for this innovative job.

Photo Center Imaging chose its HP Designjet 9000 for the printing because it wanted a solvent-ink output, and because the HP provides a solid resolution, reports Andrea Gold, Photo Center account executive. To adhere it to the washers, Photo Center eventually determined that Avery’s MPI Adhesive Vinyl would be best suited for this 30-day install job. "We chose this material because it is low-tack, easy to remove-but not too easy-and durable as well," says Gold.

Printing was a two-day task, with a little more than 244 total square feet of output material. Photo Center then used its 98-inch Seal Liquid Laminator with Cal Star Liquid Laminate to finish the job. The Photo Center Imaging staff also installed the 133 x 33-inch graphics in all five laundromats, which took one installer an hour per location. "This job went extremely smooth, with no specific challenges," adds Gold.

The Laundromedia-Photo Center Imaging team has ad-wrapped more than 40 machines to date, with more to come. "I’ve interested a number of ad agencies, especially multi-cultural ones, and recently put in some bids for new campaigns," says Kessler. And with two or more hours of in-store time average per load with washing-drying-and-folding, Laundromedia has found an alternative to staring off into white space.

Photo Center Imaging is a 45-year-old print provider working out of a 25,000 square-foot facility. The 75-employee operation specializes in large-format retail graphics for indoor and outdoor applications, including P-O-P, trade show and building graphics-and now washing machine wraps as well.